Kurt Kahl: Kia HabaNiro, Getting Started In Car Design & More #NYIAS2019
During our time on the NY Auto Show floor last week, we talked to Kia’s head of design about the new HabaNiro, how designs are chosen, how to get started in car design, favorite apps, and more. You can watch it above or read the full interview below.
When designing or overseeing a design, how do you know when it is done? Is it taught or instinctive?
Well the designers come up w/ sketches in a competition. We decide on one direction and try to capture that – usually in clay model but sometime computer-generated image. I think its done when our final product looks like sketch and fulfills that theme. You have to know when to put your tools down and say that’s what we wanted.
How do you feel about automobile design through all of the carmakers? Or do you just focus on what you’re working on?
I’m a huge car lover so I look at everything. I like everything from sports cars to hyper cars to SUVs and trucks. I try to absorb everything as the new designs come out.
Having a career that spans from Ford (GT40 Concept) to Hyundai (Veracruz) to Kia (GT4 Stinger Concept, Niro, Telluride), do you have a favorite design were you apart of?
I guess the easiest answer is the latest one. We’re really proud of the HabaNiro and what the team did w/ it is just exceptional. This name is interesting, its memorable. It captures everything we wanted to do w/ this aero sleek but also rugged EV (electric vehicle) CUV (crossover utility vehicle). We’re super busy at our studio and always on to the next thing. We’re working 3 or 4 years out in the future as we got some good stuff coming that I can’t talk about it yet.
Now being a design veteran w/ an art background, whats steps would you recommend someone who’s interested in getting in automobile design?
Like everyone told me, you have to really love to draw. Which people may think you probably don’t need to anymore w/ the computer-assisted things. It still comes down to a pen and paper – even if that pen is a digital pen. Drawing is still number one as you have to have a passion for it. If that’s what you’re going to be doing, you better like it. As you will be drawing cars a lot. Cars aren’t a natural thing to draw at first as a lot of people need to be trained to draw a car. ArtCenter College did that for me w/ their program for Transportation Design.
What are the must-have apps on your phone/computer?
I like surfing a lot so I got Surfline on my phone as I’m always checking the surf forecast. I got a few different music apps like Amazon Music & Pandora. I like music a lot as I’m into electronic, trance & stuff like that. Instagram I’m always on it as w/ my art background, I’m visual so its always been more interesting to me than Facebook.
iPhone or Android?
iPhone.
Huge thanks to the Kurt and the Kia PR team for helping us put this together. Although we’re late getting this up, the NY Auto Show is still going on as you can grab tickets and check out everything to see/do there.
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